Ball State Deac
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Any of these QBs compare favorably to Jay Cutler?
2016 Football Recruiting Thread - Notes from NSD Press Conference and Reception
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WakeForestRanger
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David Moore QB
Also, as of right now I'll be visiting Oregon State, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Indiana and Marshall before I decide.
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1745217/highlights/170393375
Also, as of right now I'll be visiting Oregon State, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Indiana and Marshall before I decide.
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1745217/highlights/170393375
PhDeac
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I wish. That's not really how it works. Time without classes is time to get research done. Well, that used to be true before having kids.
The type of work necessary to do a comprehensive study of recruiting would take thousands of person-hours simply to turn all the available information about recruit hometowns, recruitment, college performance, awards, draft position, etc. into a reasonable database and then plenty more time to conduct the analysis. The simplest analysis would be something like figuring out characteristics of sleeper RBs because of a straight forward continuous outcome (i.e. yardage, average yards, controlling for carries). Other positions would be much more difficult.
TownieDeac
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A math major should probably do it anyway...
I know.............just giving you a hard time.
We should all enjoy what little down time we have with family, etc over the next 2 weeks.
(I'll ask you again next summer when you have a few months off...........)
WakeForestRanger
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Tino Ellis says that he wants to attend Wake Forest Junior Day "really badly".
Buttermaker
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Rocky Reid due commits from UT. Vol message board made comment about Wake (derogatory of course). Was Wake recruiting him?
I am going to post a new Big Board – Defense (version 2.0) and replace the current version that is post #2 in this thread. There may not be that many of you that are interested in this level of detail, especially this early in the process, but I do it for my own purposes and I am willing to share it so that others can use it as a reference if they so choose.
I am hoping to keep the 2016 Big Board current to have it as a reference for the Junior Day(s) in late February or early March. Junior Day is a key milestone for 2016 recruiting and should go a long way towards determining which recruits we will be in contention with. My hope is that Wake gets Junior Day attendees not only from these Big Board members but also from some players that I have excluded due to offer sheets that made them appear out of reach (especially Rivals 250 types).
A few notes and thoughts on 2016 recruiting for the defense specifically:
At a minimum, I think there will be 4-5 scholarships available for the defensive side of the ball.
As far as I know there were NO game day visitors of note during the season on this side of the ball, with the exception of DB/WR Phillip Patterson (who was offered during his visit).
The most recent round of offers made during the December contact period had a number of defensive back recruits that are profiled in the Big Board summaries. However, I think we are will have to play catch-up with many players that were recently offered as in many cases there already have favorites (i.e. Mark Gilbert with Duke, Javon Jackson with Kentucky and Keyvone Bruton with Virginia Tech).
Note that only 3 of the 10 players on the Board are from North Carolina. Most of the recent offers were out of state. I think that is a trend that will continue. All 10 of the players on the Board are from within the recruiting territory that stretches from Baltimore to Jacksonville.
Players removed since version Big Board version 1 (which included both a Big Board and a Watch List):
3-star DT Sulamain Kamara (Hermitage HS, Richmond, VA) – Previously on the Big Board. I am judgmentally removing him because I am convinced that he is highly interested in Duke and UNC. Rumored visitor for the Virginia Tech game, but I didn’t find any evidence that he attended. I will add him back if he attends Junior Day.
3-star DT Kobe Smith (Archer HS / Lawrenceville, GA) - Previously on the Big Board. Committed to N.C. State.
3-star CB Antone Williams (Woodward Academy / Atlanta, GA) – Previously on the Watch List because I felt that he might be a long shot for Wake. Committed to Duke.
4-star DT Ellison Jordan (Gilman School / Baltimore, MD) – Previously on the Watch List because I felt that he might be a long shot for Wake. I was hopeful that Wake might be able to get involved, but I eventually dropped him after seeing his Twitter blow-up following an offer from Penn State. He has been to Maryland and number of times and also took visits this fall to Penn State, Michigan and Virginia Tech. I think that we can assume that those schools are the early leaders in his recruitment. He has also mentioned UNC, Rutgers and Michigan State as schools that he would like to visit this winter. With that being said, I still think that he is taking a very open-minded approach to his recruitment. If I had to guess on a 4-star from out of state that might attend Wake’s Junior Day, I would probably guess Jordan.
4-star CB Nygel Edmonds (McCallie School / Chattanooga, TN) – Previously mentioned on the Watch List because he camped at Wake Forest this summer with his brother (a 2018 RB prospect). His offer list is loaded, and I haven’t found any evidence that he has an interest in Wake Forest. However, there haven’t been many articles written about him so it is difficult to tell who his leaders might be. I won’t include him on the Board for the time being, but he is another name that I would love to see attend Wake Forest’s Junior Day.
I am hoping to keep the 2016 Big Board current to have it as a reference for the Junior Day(s) in late February or early March. Junior Day is a key milestone for 2016 recruiting and should go a long way towards determining which recruits we will be in contention with. My hope is that Wake gets Junior Day attendees not only from these Big Board members but also from some players that I have excluded due to offer sheets that made them appear out of reach (especially Rivals 250 types).
A few notes and thoughts on 2016 recruiting for the defense specifically:
At a minimum, I think there will be 4-5 scholarships available for the defensive side of the ball.
As far as I know there were NO game day visitors of note during the season on this side of the ball, with the exception of DB/WR Phillip Patterson (who was offered during his visit).
The most recent round of offers made during the December contact period had a number of defensive back recruits that are profiled in the Big Board summaries. However, I think we are will have to play catch-up with many players that were recently offered as in many cases there already have favorites (i.e. Mark Gilbert with Duke, Javon Jackson with Kentucky and Keyvone Bruton with Virginia Tech).
Note that only 3 of the 10 players on the Board are from North Carolina. Most of the recent offers were out of state. I think that is a trend that will continue. All 10 of the players on the Board are from within the recruiting territory that stretches from Baltimore to Jacksonville.
Players removed since version Big Board version 1 (which included both a Big Board and a Watch List):
3-star DT Sulamain Kamara (Hermitage HS, Richmond, VA) – Previously on the Big Board. I am judgmentally removing him because I am convinced that he is highly interested in Duke and UNC. Rumored visitor for the Virginia Tech game, but I didn’t find any evidence that he attended. I will add him back if he attends Junior Day.
3-star DT Kobe Smith (Archer HS / Lawrenceville, GA) - Previously on the Big Board. Committed to N.C. State.
3-star CB Antone Williams (Woodward Academy / Atlanta, GA) – Previously on the Watch List because I felt that he might be a long shot for Wake. Committed to Duke.
4-star DT Ellison Jordan (Gilman School / Baltimore, MD) – Previously on the Watch List because I felt that he might be a long shot for Wake. I was hopeful that Wake might be able to get involved, but I eventually dropped him after seeing his Twitter blow-up following an offer from Penn State. He has been to Maryland and number of times and also took visits this fall to Penn State, Michigan and Virginia Tech. I think that we can assume that those schools are the early leaders in his recruitment. He has also mentioned UNC, Rutgers and Michigan State as schools that he would like to visit this winter. With that being said, I still think that he is taking a very open-minded approach to his recruitment. If I had to guess on a 4-star from out of state that might attend Wake’s Junior Day, I would probably guess Jordan.
4-star CB Nygel Edmonds (McCallie School / Chattanooga, TN) – Previously mentioned on the Watch List because he camped at Wake Forest this summer with his brother (a 2018 RB prospect). His offer list is loaded, and I haven’t found any evidence that he has an interest in Wake Forest. However, there haven’t been many articles written about him so it is difficult to tell who his leaders might be. I won’t include him on the Board for the time being, but he is another name that I would love to see attend Wake Forest’s Junior Day.
Reminder: All info is pulled from the web, including social media. When preparing the Big Board, I filter the info to identify recruits that we appear to have a better chance with. My goal is to focus the discussion on more realistic targets. I make this assessment by reading interviews and looking at offer lists.
Deac94s Big Board – Defense (Version 2)
Defensive Tackles
Christian Colon (DT - 6’3 / 300) – Independence High School / Charlotte, NC
Rating: 3-star, #39 DT in the country, #25 player in North Carolina
Power 5 Offers: Wake, Notre Dame, UNC, NC State, South Carolina, Boston College, Virginia
Background: Several articles mention how relentless of a worker he is. Supposedly has a really great work ethic. One of my favorite notes is that during track practice he participates in speed drills with the track athletes even though he competes only in the shot put. Former HS teammate of Isaiah Robinson. One of only two juniors named to the postseason 1st team all-area defense by the Charlotte Observer. Has seen his stock rise after losing 25-30 pounds before his junior season and showing improved speed and explosiveness on film.
Visits: He participated in a number of camps in the summer including Ohio State, West Virginia, Clemson, UNC, NC State and South Carolina. He told an interviewer that Wake Forest, Ohio State and UNC were his favorite camps of the summer. Visited NC State on September 27th for FSU game and UNC October 4th for the Virginia Tech game. Was supposed to attend the Wake-Clemson game but was forced to cancel.
Recruitment: NC State got themselves off to an early lead by getting in the first offer that Colon received. NC State also has two of his former teammates on the roster. In May he was listing NC State as his leader with Kentucky (no offer) second, UNC third and Wake fourth. By June that had changed and NC State and Wake were tied for the lead with Kentucky running third. In early December, 247 said that the perception was that the UNC had taken the lead in his recruitment. Then Notre Dame shook up his recruitment in December when they offered despite not having had much contact with him. South Carolina followed with their offer shortly after Notre Dame.
Defensive Ends / Outside Linebackers
Keith Simms (DE/OLB – 6’3/225) – The Landon School / Bethesda, MD
Rating: 3-star, #19 OLB in the country, #14 overall player in Maryland
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Maryland, Boston College, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, UNC, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Virginia and West Virginia
Background: A high-end pass rusher who features lots of quickness and athleticism. In a 4-2-5 defense I would suspect that he would play the “drop end” spot that Ziggy Allen played last year. 3-4 and 4-3 teams will likely recruit him as an OLB. His ultimate position probably depends on how much he grows over the next 2-3 years.
Visits: Attended Maryland’s Junior Day in 2014, which was the first of several visits there. He grew up less than 15 miles from the Maryland campus. Camped at Duke last summer. Visited Penn State (no offer yet), Ohio State (no offer yet) and West Virginia during the fall. He has plans to visit Boston College, UNC, Iowa, Pitt, Syracuse, and Rutgers.
Recruitment: Illinois was the first to offer, followed by Iowa and Boston College. He is a top target for Maryland and they are certainly the early favorite in his recruitment. In a November interview he mentioned Maryland, UNC, Boston College, Iowa and West Virginia as the schools standing out to him the most. However, in the most recent article on Simms he told Scout that over the Xmas holidays he and his family had been discussing Maryland, UNC, Boston College, Virginia and Wake Forest the most. That looked to me like he was starting to slant his recruitment towards the high-end academic schools. He also said that Maryland, UNC, West Virginia and Rutgers were recruiting him the hardest.
Julian Okwara (OLB – 6’4 / 210) – Ardrey Kell HS / Charlotte, NC
Rating: 3-star, #23 OLB in the country, #15 player in North Carolina
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Boston College, Duke, UNC, NC State and Vanderbilt
Background: Classified as an OLB, but has the versatility to play DE as well. Possibly the biggest in-state riser after his junior season film was released. He went from being unranked in the Rivals state rankings to being the #15 player in the state. He also received a number of offers in a very short period of time. Younger brother of current Notre Dame DL Romeo Okwara. His family stresses academics and this will be a consideration in his recruitment. He says that his father is very high on the Duke program.
Visits: Has visited UNC on multiple occasions, including for the UNC-VT game. Visited N.C. State for the NCSU-Wake game. He plans to visit Wake Forest and Duke soon and would also like to go to Ohio State, Clemson and Tennessee.
Recruitment: Boston College was the first to offer. N.C. State was the second when they offered during his unofficial visit.
Safeties
Keyvone Bruton (Strong Safety, 5’11/196) – Oscar Smith HS / Chesapeake, VA
Rating: 3-star, #27 overall player in Virginia
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Duke
Background: His first few articles speculated that he might eventually end up at OLB (he weighed 192 lbs at a combine before his junior season). Also plays some TE on his HS team. Had 6 INTs, 5 sacks and 5 tackles for loss during his sophomore season, but had only 2 INT’s his junior year. His HS coach thinks he will be 215 lbs by the time he graduates. This, together with the fact that he is strong against the run, leads me to believe Wake Forest would be recruiting him for the Rover position. His coach made a point of noting his competitiveness and drive both during practice and in the weight room. Teammate of Virginia Tech commit Deshawn McClease. Wants to major in business.
Recruitment: Virginia Tech offered very early (spring 2014) and is considered the early favorite. By April 2014, Bruton had already visited Blacksburg twice. By December he was saying that Virginia Tech already “felt like home”. Already has three 247 Crystal Balls predicting Virginia Tech. Duke was the 2nd Power 5 offer in October 2014. Wake Forest offered in December 2014.
Javon Jackson (Safety, 5’11/180) – Sandy Creek HS / Tyrone, GA
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Kentucky and UNC
Background: Sees himself as more of a free safety. Some have speculated that he might end up at CB at the college level (247 actually lists him as a CB).
Visits: He has taken unofficial visits to Kentucky (November 12 for Georgia game), Tennessee and Ohio State
Recruitment: Kentucky was the first to offer (February 2014) and is considered to be the early favorite. He camped at Kentucky in June. UNC and Wake Forest both offered in December 2014. Told an interviewer in late December that he planned to attend junior day events at all 3 schools that had offered.
Cornerbacks
Martin Mangram (CB 5’11 / 180) – Buford HS / Buford, GA
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest
Background: 247 says he is 5’11, which would provide the height that the staff is looking for at corner. Also plays some RB on his HS team. From watching his highlights I buy that he is 180. He is not a skinny CB. In my opinion, he could be a physical player at the college level. That’s a great profile for a 4-2-5 CB. A newspaper article from last year reported that he had a 40 time of 4.36.
Recruitment: Wake Forest offered in October and was the first to offer. He gave a nice quote to Rivals saying that he thinks highly of Wake, especially for being the first school to offer him.
Phillip Patterson (6’1 / 175 CB/S/WR) – Bayside HS / Virginia Beach, VA
Rating: 3-star, #75 WR in the country, #15 overall player in Virginia
Offers: Wake Forest and Duke
Background: The recruiting websites list Patterson as a WR, but Duke offered him as a DB. The initial thinking is that he could be a tall, physical CB but if he fills out over the next 18 months they would take him as a safety. So I am going to assume that Wake is taking the same approach and will put him on the Big Board as a DB for now.
Recruitment: Duke was the first to offer (October 16th). Patterson has visited Duke multiple times, including an unofficial visit for the Duke-Virginia game an 10/18. Patterson was expected to visit Wake Forest for the Virginia Tech game and was offered by Wake a few days later.
Mark Gilbert (Cornerback, 6’2/170) – Terry Sanford HS / Fayetteville, NC
Rating: 2-star
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Boston College, Duke and N.C. State
Visits: Visited UNC in October for the UNC-Georgia Tech game. Also visited Pitt and Duke. Camped at N.C. State this past summer.
Background: Related to Darrelle Revis (cousin). Also cousins with highly-rated 2016 DE Zack Gilbert. Had only 3 INTs and one tackle for loss last season. Did tell Scout that no WR had more than 2 catches against him. He wants to go to law school after his playing career is over. Academics will be a factor in his recruitment.
Recruitment: In October he declined to name favorite, but did note that Duke and Boston College were standing out to him. They were his first Power 5 offers (Duke was the first to offer in October 2014). Doeren extended the NCSU offer personally.
Sir Patrick Scott (Cornerback, 6’1/170) – Riverdale Baptist HS / Upper Marlboro, MD
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Boston College, Kentucky and Michigan State
Zech McPhearson (Cornerback, 6’0/185) - Riverdale Baptist HS / Upper Marlboro, MD
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest and Boston College
Background: His father played at Boston College in the ‘80s. Played through an injury during his entire junior season.
Visits: Has visited Penn State and Maryland.
Recruitment: Boston College was the first to offer (in November).
Deac94s Big Board – Defense (Version 2)
Defensive Tackles
Christian Colon (DT - 6’3 / 300) – Independence High School / Charlotte, NC
Rating: 3-star, #39 DT in the country, #25 player in North Carolina
Power 5 Offers: Wake, Notre Dame, UNC, NC State, South Carolina, Boston College, Virginia
Background: Several articles mention how relentless of a worker he is. Supposedly has a really great work ethic. One of my favorite notes is that during track practice he participates in speed drills with the track athletes even though he competes only in the shot put. Former HS teammate of Isaiah Robinson. One of only two juniors named to the postseason 1st team all-area defense by the Charlotte Observer. Has seen his stock rise after losing 25-30 pounds before his junior season and showing improved speed and explosiveness on film.
Visits: He participated in a number of camps in the summer including Ohio State, West Virginia, Clemson, UNC, NC State and South Carolina. He told an interviewer that Wake Forest, Ohio State and UNC were his favorite camps of the summer. Visited NC State on September 27th for FSU game and UNC October 4th for the Virginia Tech game. Was supposed to attend the Wake-Clemson game but was forced to cancel.
Recruitment: NC State got themselves off to an early lead by getting in the first offer that Colon received. NC State also has two of his former teammates on the roster. In May he was listing NC State as his leader with Kentucky (no offer) second, UNC third and Wake fourth. By June that had changed and NC State and Wake were tied for the lead with Kentucky running third. In early December, 247 said that the perception was that the UNC had taken the lead in his recruitment. Then Notre Dame shook up his recruitment in December when they offered despite not having had much contact with him. South Carolina followed with their offer shortly after Notre Dame.
Defensive Ends / Outside Linebackers
Keith Simms (DE/OLB – 6’3/225) – The Landon School / Bethesda, MD
Rating: 3-star, #19 OLB in the country, #14 overall player in Maryland
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Maryland, Boston College, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, UNC, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Virginia and West Virginia
Background: A high-end pass rusher who features lots of quickness and athleticism. In a 4-2-5 defense I would suspect that he would play the “drop end” spot that Ziggy Allen played last year. 3-4 and 4-3 teams will likely recruit him as an OLB. His ultimate position probably depends on how much he grows over the next 2-3 years.
Visits: Attended Maryland’s Junior Day in 2014, which was the first of several visits there. He grew up less than 15 miles from the Maryland campus. Camped at Duke last summer. Visited Penn State (no offer yet), Ohio State (no offer yet) and West Virginia during the fall. He has plans to visit Boston College, UNC, Iowa, Pitt, Syracuse, and Rutgers.
Recruitment: Illinois was the first to offer, followed by Iowa and Boston College. He is a top target for Maryland and they are certainly the early favorite in his recruitment. In a November interview he mentioned Maryland, UNC, Boston College, Iowa and West Virginia as the schools standing out to him the most. However, in the most recent article on Simms he told Scout that over the Xmas holidays he and his family had been discussing Maryland, UNC, Boston College, Virginia and Wake Forest the most. That looked to me like he was starting to slant his recruitment towards the high-end academic schools. He also said that Maryland, UNC, West Virginia and Rutgers were recruiting him the hardest.
Julian Okwara (OLB – 6’4 / 210) – Ardrey Kell HS / Charlotte, NC
Rating: 3-star, #23 OLB in the country, #15 player in North Carolina
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Boston College, Duke, UNC, NC State and Vanderbilt
Background: Classified as an OLB, but has the versatility to play DE as well. Possibly the biggest in-state riser after his junior season film was released. He went from being unranked in the Rivals state rankings to being the #15 player in the state. He also received a number of offers in a very short period of time. Younger brother of current Notre Dame DL Romeo Okwara. His family stresses academics and this will be a consideration in his recruitment. He says that his father is very high on the Duke program.
Visits: Has visited UNC on multiple occasions, including for the UNC-VT game. Visited N.C. State for the NCSU-Wake game. He plans to visit Wake Forest and Duke soon and would also like to go to Ohio State, Clemson and Tennessee.
Recruitment: Boston College was the first to offer. N.C. State was the second when they offered during his unofficial visit.
Safeties
Keyvone Bruton (Strong Safety, 5’11/196) – Oscar Smith HS / Chesapeake, VA
Rating: 3-star, #27 overall player in Virginia
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Duke
Background: His first few articles speculated that he might eventually end up at OLB (he weighed 192 lbs at a combine before his junior season). Also plays some TE on his HS team. Had 6 INTs, 5 sacks and 5 tackles for loss during his sophomore season, but had only 2 INT’s his junior year. His HS coach thinks he will be 215 lbs by the time he graduates. This, together with the fact that he is strong against the run, leads me to believe Wake Forest would be recruiting him for the Rover position. His coach made a point of noting his competitiveness and drive both during practice and in the weight room. Teammate of Virginia Tech commit Deshawn McClease. Wants to major in business.
Recruitment: Virginia Tech offered very early (spring 2014) and is considered the early favorite. By April 2014, Bruton had already visited Blacksburg twice. By December he was saying that Virginia Tech already “felt like home”. Already has three 247 Crystal Balls predicting Virginia Tech. Duke was the 2nd Power 5 offer in October 2014. Wake Forest offered in December 2014.
Javon Jackson (Safety, 5’11/180) – Sandy Creek HS / Tyrone, GA
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Kentucky and UNC
Background: Sees himself as more of a free safety. Some have speculated that he might end up at CB at the college level (247 actually lists him as a CB).
Visits: He has taken unofficial visits to Kentucky (November 12 for Georgia game), Tennessee and Ohio State
Recruitment: Kentucky was the first to offer (February 2014) and is considered to be the early favorite. He camped at Kentucky in June. UNC and Wake Forest both offered in December 2014. Told an interviewer in late December that he planned to attend junior day events at all 3 schools that had offered.
Cornerbacks
Martin Mangram (CB 5’11 / 180) – Buford HS / Buford, GA
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest
Background: 247 says he is 5’11, which would provide the height that the staff is looking for at corner. Also plays some RB on his HS team. From watching his highlights I buy that he is 180. He is not a skinny CB. In my opinion, he could be a physical player at the college level. That’s a great profile for a 4-2-5 CB. A newspaper article from last year reported that he had a 40 time of 4.36.
Recruitment: Wake Forest offered in October and was the first to offer. He gave a nice quote to Rivals saying that he thinks highly of Wake, especially for being the first school to offer him.
Phillip Patterson (6’1 / 175 CB/S/WR) – Bayside HS / Virginia Beach, VA
Rating: 3-star, #75 WR in the country, #15 overall player in Virginia
Offers: Wake Forest and Duke
Background: The recruiting websites list Patterson as a WR, but Duke offered him as a DB. The initial thinking is that he could be a tall, physical CB but if he fills out over the next 18 months they would take him as a safety. So I am going to assume that Wake is taking the same approach and will put him on the Big Board as a DB for now.
Recruitment: Duke was the first to offer (October 16th). Patterson has visited Duke multiple times, including an unofficial visit for the Duke-Virginia game an 10/18. Patterson was expected to visit Wake Forest for the Virginia Tech game and was offered by Wake a few days later.
Mark Gilbert (Cornerback, 6’2/170) – Terry Sanford HS / Fayetteville, NC
Rating: 2-star
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Boston College, Duke and N.C. State
Visits: Visited UNC in October for the UNC-Georgia Tech game. Also visited Pitt and Duke. Camped at N.C. State this past summer.
Background: Related to Darrelle Revis (cousin). Also cousins with highly-rated 2016 DE Zack Gilbert. Had only 3 INTs and one tackle for loss last season. Did tell Scout that no WR had more than 2 catches against him. He wants to go to law school after his playing career is over. Academics will be a factor in his recruitment.
Recruitment: In October he declined to name favorite, but did note that Duke and Boston College were standing out to him. They were his first Power 5 offers (Duke was the first to offer in October 2014). Doeren extended the NCSU offer personally.
Sir Patrick Scott (Cornerback, 6’1/170) – Riverdale Baptist HS / Upper Marlboro, MD
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Boston College, Kentucky and Michigan State
Zech McPhearson (Cornerback, 6’0/185) - Riverdale Baptist HS / Upper Marlboro, MD
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest and Boston College
Background: His father played at Boston College in the ‘80s. Played through an injury during his entire junior season.
Visits: Has visited Penn State and Maryland.
Recruitment: Boston College was the first to offer (in November).
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Notes on 2016 offensive line recruiting
A couple of new additions to the Board with recent offers to Liam Smith and Robert Kraeling. Smith, who is from New Jersey, becomes the first player added to Big Board (at any position) that lives outside of the Baltimore to Jacksonville recruiting territory.
In my opinion, offensive line recruiting has been a little slower to develop because of the relatively weak class in-state. In the newly-updated Rivals 2016 rankings only 3 of the top 35 players in the state are offensive linemen and I don’t see Wake Forest being a factor with any of them. The situation isn’t much better in Virginia where 5 of the top 35 players are offensive linemen with 3 of those players (Clark Yarborough, Josh Ball and Jay Jay McCargo) appearing to already be out of reach and the other 2 do not have offers from Wake. (Note: Despite taking an unofficial visit to Wake over the summer Jay Jay McCargo was never offered by Wake Forest.)
In the previous version of the Big Board, I had 4 players with Wake offers on my Watch List because I thought that they were long shots for Wake Forest (Sean Pollard, Taleni Suhren, Landon Dickerson and Josh Ball). All 4 will stay off the Board for now. Pollard has since committed to Clemson. Taleni Suhren (Ardrey Kell HS / Charlotte, NC, #27 player in NC) continues to be a Duke-lean and never mentions Wake Forest in interviews. Landon Dickerson (South Caldwell HS / Hudson, NC, #11 OG in the country) has never appeared (to me, at least) to have the slightest interest in Wake Forest and now has a top 3 of Tennessee, Clemson and Virginia Tech. Josh Ball (Stafford Senior HS / Fredericksburg, VA, #23 OT in the country) is more wide-open but has picked up an offer from Penn State, has a strong relationship with West Virginia, and has recently visited Duke, Maryland and Virginia Tech (all have offered).
The toughest decision that I had for this version of the Board was whether to include recent offeree Will Fries (Cranford HS / Cranford, NJ, #13 OG in the country). I considered adding him because he mentioned Wake Forest in a December interview as one of 7 schools that were standing out to him. However, I ultimately decided that the combination of offers from Penn State and Northwestern was enough to keep him off of my list for now. I will continue to keep an eye on him and will add him if he visits Wake Forest for a Junior Day.
Deac94's Big Board – Offensive Line
Pete Leota (6’5/295 OG) – Asheville HS / Asheville, NC
Rating: 2-star
Offers: Wake Forest and Boston College
Background: Relocated with his family from Samoa when he was nine. Projects as a right guard at the college level. He has been described as having good feet, a big wingspan and being a tough kid. Run blocking is his specialty right now. His favorite team growing up was Georgia.
Visits: Leota chose to attend summer camps at Georgia Tech, Clemson, NC State, Duke and Tennessee (notably not Wake Forest’s camp). Visited Boston College on September 27th. Visited Clemson for two games this fall in addition to their spring game. Virginia Tech has stepped up their efforts with Leota and are trying to get him to travel to Blacksburg for a game.
Recruitment: Wake was not the first school to offer, but appears to have been the first school to actively recruit Leota (dating back to the Grobe staff). Leota visited Wake Forest for the homecoming game against Army. That was when he received his scholarship offer. He recently told Scout that he had a very good time at the Wake-Army game and that he really liked Wake’s coaching staff. However, I think that Clemson would become the favorite if they offer.
Liam Smith (OT 6’5 / 255) – Red Bank Catholic HS / Red Bank, NJ (**new offer**)
Ranking: 3-star, #23 overall player in NJ for 2016
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest, Duke, Miami, Rutgers, Syracuse and Virginia
Background: Scout did an in-person evaluation in September saying that Smith had tremendous feet and was tenacious and physical in the run game. They think he will end up with a lot of offers before it is all said and done. He wants to attend a high-academic school where he can get a valuable degree. Plans to major in business. In fact, he has said that his priorities are #1: good school and #2: good football program. He is teammates and close friends with a 2015 Miami-commit. Drew some major offers based on his summer camp performances despite being a backup last year on his HS team behind two college-bound tackles (one is now a freshman at Notre Dame). His HS team is almost entirely run-based, so his opportunities to work on pass protection are very limited.
Visits: Camped at Miami, Boston College (no offer), Maryland (no offer) and Rutgers this summer. Visited Syracuse this fall shortly after they offered.
Recruitment: While he hasn’t named any favorites, he has spoken very highly of Duke and Miami. He has also said that he is very interested in Northwestern (no offer). We will have to see where Wake fits in now that they have offered.
Robert Kraeling (OT 6’8 / 250) - Prince Avenue Christian HS / Bogart, GA (**new offer**)
Ranking: 3-star
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, N.C. State and Boston College
Background: Played defensive end as a sophomore, so he has only one year of experience on the offensive line. A reasonably high-end basketball player as well, I am not sure if he is looking for opportunities to play both sports. Wants to major in computer science.
Visits: N.C. State for NCSU-Wake Forest game. He was very heavy in his praise of the N.C. State following the visit. Visited Clemson for a game after he reached out to their staff. Also attended games at Auburn, Georgia Tech and Duke.
Recruitment: He is high on N.C. State and Clemson (no offer). Not much doubt about that.
A couple of new additions to the Board with recent offers to Liam Smith and Robert Kraeling. Smith, who is from New Jersey, becomes the first player added to Big Board (at any position) that lives outside of the Baltimore to Jacksonville recruiting territory.
In my opinion, offensive line recruiting has been a little slower to develop because of the relatively weak class in-state. In the newly-updated Rivals 2016 rankings only 3 of the top 35 players in the state are offensive linemen and I don’t see Wake Forest being a factor with any of them. The situation isn’t much better in Virginia where 5 of the top 35 players are offensive linemen with 3 of those players (Clark Yarborough, Josh Ball and Jay Jay McCargo) appearing to already be out of reach and the other 2 do not have offers from Wake. (Note: Despite taking an unofficial visit to Wake over the summer Jay Jay McCargo was never offered by Wake Forest.)
In the previous version of the Big Board, I had 4 players with Wake offers on my Watch List because I thought that they were long shots for Wake Forest (Sean Pollard, Taleni Suhren, Landon Dickerson and Josh Ball). All 4 will stay off the Board for now. Pollard has since committed to Clemson. Taleni Suhren (Ardrey Kell HS / Charlotte, NC, #27 player in NC) continues to be a Duke-lean and never mentions Wake Forest in interviews. Landon Dickerson (South Caldwell HS / Hudson, NC, #11 OG in the country) has never appeared (to me, at least) to have the slightest interest in Wake Forest and now has a top 3 of Tennessee, Clemson and Virginia Tech. Josh Ball (Stafford Senior HS / Fredericksburg, VA, #23 OT in the country) is more wide-open but has picked up an offer from Penn State, has a strong relationship with West Virginia, and has recently visited Duke, Maryland and Virginia Tech (all have offered).
The toughest decision that I had for this version of the Board was whether to include recent offeree Will Fries (Cranford HS / Cranford, NJ, #13 OG in the country). I considered adding him because he mentioned Wake Forest in a December interview as one of 7 schools that were standing out to him. However, I ultimately decided that the combination of offers from Penn State and Northwestern was enough to keep him off of my list for now. I will continue to keep an eye on him and will add him if he visits Wake Forest for a Junior Day.
Deac94's Big Board – Offensive Line
Pete Leota (6’5/295 OG) – Asheville HS / Asheville, NC
Rating: 2-star
Offers: Wake Forest and Boston College
Background: Relocated with his family from Samoa when he was nine. Projects as a right guard at the college level. He has been described as having good feet, a big wingspan and being a tough kid. Run blocking is his specialty right now. His favorite team growing up was Georgia.
Visits: Leota chose to attend summer camps at Georgia Tech, Clemson, NC State, Duke and Tennessee (notably not Wake Forest’s camp). Visited Boston College on September 27th. Visited Clemson for two games this fall in addition to their spring game. Virginia Tech has stepped up their efforts with Leota and are trying to get him to travel to Blacksburg for a game.
Recruitment: Wake was not the first school to offer, but appears to have been the first school to actively recruit Leota (dating back to the Grobe staff). Leota visited Wake Forest for the homecoming game against Army. That was when he received his scholarship offer. He recently told Scout that he had a very good time at the Wake-Army game and that he really liked Wake’s coaching staff. However, I think that Clemson would become the favorite if they offer.
Liam Smith (OT 6’5 / 255) – Red Bank Catholic HS / Red Bank, NJ (**new offer**)
Ranking: 3-star, #23 overall player in NJ for 2016
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest, Duke, Miami, Rutgers, Syracuse and Virginia
Background: Scout did an in-person evaluation in September saying that Smith had tremendous feet and was tenacious and physical in the run game. They think he will end up with a lot of offers before it is all said and done. He wants to attend a high-academic school where he can get a valuable degree. Plans to major in business. In fact, he has said that his priorities are #1: good school and #2: good football program. He is teammates and close friends with a 2015 Miami-commit. Drew some major offers based on his summer camp performances despite being a backup last year on his HS team behind two college-bound tackles (one is now a freshman at Notre Dame). His HS team is almost entirely run-based, so his opportunities to work on pass protection are very limited.
Visits: Camped at Miami, Boston College (no offer), Maryland (no offer) and Rutgers this summer. Visited Syracuse this fall shortly after they offered.
Recruitment: While he hasn’t named any favorites, he has spoken very highly of Duke and Miami. He has also said that he is very interested in Northwestern (no offer). We will have to see where Wake fits in now that they have offered.
Robert Kraeling (OT 6’8 / 250) - Prince Avenue Christian HS / Bogart, GA (**new offer**)
Ranking: 3-star
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, N.C. State and Boston College
Background: Played defensive end as a sophomore, so he has only one year of experience on the offensive line. A reasonably high-end basketball player as well, I am not sure if he is looking for opportunities to play both sports. Wants to major in computer science.
Visits: N.C. State for NCSU-Wake Forest game. He was very heavy in his praise of the N.C. State following the visit. Visited Clemson for a game after he reached out to their staff. Also attended games at Auburn, Georgia Tech and Duke.
Recruitment: He is high on N.C. State and Clemson (no offer). Not much doubt about that.
Last edited:
Notes on 2016 Receiver Recruiting
I added two new offerees: Kiel Pollard and Diondre Overton. I debated whether to add Overton to the Board because he already has a Clemson offer. I don’t usually add players with Clemson offers until they have specifically mentioned Wake Forest in an interview. None of our 2015 commits had a Clemson offer. However, Overton’s rapid ascent as a football recruit after returning to football is such an interesting story and he does live in Greensboro so I decided to add him for now. Clemson and N.C. State do seem well-positioned with him though.
All of the previous writeups have been updated.
I removed 4-star Cornell Powell (Rose HS / Greenville, NC) from the Board after he named Clemson his leader and Ole Miss, Florida State, LSU and Ohio State as the rest of his top 5.
I think that recent offeree 4-star Tino Ellis (DeMatha HS / Hyattsville, MD) is worth keeping an eye on, but his recruitment seems to be further along than most and I would be very surprised if he ended up anywhere other than Maryland, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Rutgers or Penn State (no offer). For that reason, I haven’t put him on the Board just yet.
I am a big fan of Moe Neal. I won’t try to hide it.
Deac94's Big Board - Slot Receivers
Moe Neal (5’10/165) – Forestview HS / Gastonia, NC
Rating: 3-star / #21 player in North Carolina / #7 all-purpose back in the country
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest, Duke, NC State, Boston College, Syracuse, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech
Background: First noted in recruiting circles as a freshman in HS when he recorded 800 all-purpose yards. Increased that number to 2,000 yards his sophomore season. Also scored 27 TDs last season. Then another 2,500 all-purpose yards and 38 TDs as a junior. Averaged 30.8 yards on 13 kickoff returns. Told an interviewer he ran 4.5 this year at an Under Armor combine. He envisions himself used in a Percy Harvin type role. He knows that he has to get bigger and stronger to play at the college level. Moves around between RB, slot and WR in Forestview’s spread offense, but lines up at RB the most. UNC is evaluating him as a receiver. Georgia Tech is recruiting him for the A-back role. Told an interviewer in October that his role in the Wake Forest offense would be RB/Slot/KR/PR (“anything to get me the ball in space”). He has said that he is looking for a school that provides him with the right combination of academics and football. He wants to play as a true freshman.
Visits: Attended camps this summer at Duke, NC State, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina. Also visited Wake Forest and Georgia Tech in July. Visited Syracuse in October for the Syracuse-FSU game. Ohio State in November for the Ohio State-Michigan game.
Recruitment: Mississippi State offered him after his freshman year. Visited Boston College in January. NC State and Duke offered immediately after he attended their summer camps. Told multiple interviewers this summer that Wake Forest was recruiting him the hardest, specifically telling Scout (about the attention he was receiving from Wake) “It means a lot. They’ve been showing a lot of love to me and my family.” In October he said “the odds are very high for me to go to Wake Forest right now”. Syracuse and N.C. State appear to be the main competition right now. I think he will likely make a decision in the late spring or very early summer
Darion Slade (Slot Receiver 5’11 / 178) - West Forsyth HS / Clemmons, NC
Ranking: 3-star, #33 player in North Carolina
Offers: Wake Forest, Duke and West Virginia
Background: Athlete played all over the field for West Forsyth as a sophomore. Started the season at slot WR before moving to QB. Some recruiting websites list him as a dual-threat QB, but for now colleges are recruiting him as either a WR or DB. He told 247 in November that he would likely play slot receiver at the college level. Plans to major in sports medicine. High-level basketball player is a guard on the Team Felton AAU team, and will likely draw lower-level college scholarships offers to play on the hardwood.
Visits: Wake Forest for Gardner-Webb game (which was a terrible game to attend from a crowd/weather perspective). Visited Duke 3 times already, including a game in September. Virginia Tech (no offer) on September 20. N.C. State on October 11.
Recruitment: West Virginia (specifically Lonnie Galloway) got the advantage of being his first offer and they will be a factor throughout his recruitment. In November a Rivals writer tweeted that Wake and West Virginia were his top 2. A 247 article reported the same top two. He told 247 that he talks to Coach Clawson “a lot”. Of the schools that have not offered, it seems like he has the most contact with Virginia Tech.
Deac94s Big Board – Wide Receivers
Jalen Elliott (6’1 / 175 ATH) L.C. Bird HS / Chesterfield, VA
Rating: 3-star, #22 overall player in Virginia
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest and Virginia Tech
Visits: Wake Forest on October 18 for Syracuse game (Wake offered him that day). Virginia Tech is August for the VT-William and Mary game. Tennessee (no offer) on October 25. UNC (no offer) on October 4th for the UNC-Virginia Tech game. Camped this summer at Virginia Tech, Virginia, Duke, UNC and Tennessee. He plans to head back to Virginia Tech for the VT-UVA game.
Background: Transferred to L.C. Bird last spring and switched to QB after playing WR as a sophomore. Led his team to a state championship in his first year at QB. Classified as an ATH, Elliott will likely play either WR or DB at the next level. Wake Forest offered him as a WR. Virginia Tech offered him as a DB. UNC is considering offering him as either a WR or an ATH. Both parents are Virginia Tech graduates, and he has already had extensive exposure to Virginia Tech.
Outlook: Virginia Tech is going to be tough to beat for Elliott.
Samuel Denmark (6’0 / 177 WR) Hanahan HS / Hanahan, SC
Rating: 3-star, #15 overall player in South Carolina
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest and Virginia Tech
Visits: Clemson in September for the Clemson-UNC game. Also camped at Clemson this summer along with camps at South Carolina and NC State. Visited Notre Dame in September for a game. Visited Virginia Tech on November 1st. Visited Wake in October (he received his offer during the visit). Was planning visits to Purdue on November 8th, Duke on November 15th and East Carolina on November 22nd.
Background: Had 900 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore. Track star. Finished 2nd in the state at the 3A level in the 100m and 3rd in the 200m. He claims that is 40-time is 4.44. Was a South Carolina fan growing up.
Recruitment: Based on quotes that I read from November, it looks like both Clemson (no offer) and Virginia Tech are leading Wake Forest right now. Alabama and Clemson visited him at his high school in November.
Kiel Pollard (6’1 / 215) – Colquitt County HS / Moultrie, GA (**new offer**)
Ranking: 3-star
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest, Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Purdue
Background: An athletic receiver that is 215 lbs as a HS junior. Had only 800 yards and 7 TDs as a sophomore, but a plays for one of the top HS teams in the country. Rivals did an in-person evaluation in August giving Pollard a very high grade and praising his ball skills and ability to break tackles after the catch. Plays for powerhouse team that won the Georgia 6A state championship. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named him as the runner-up MVP at the first day of practice for Georgia’s Elite Junior Classic in December.
Visits: Most of his visits have been to very high-end programs. He camped at Auburn last summer and then attended a game in the fall. He has been a regular at Florida State games.
Recruitment: Wake Forest offered on December 2. Which direction his recruitment takes probably depends in large part on how much interest he ends up getting from Auburn and FSU. He also recently started talking to Alabama. He says that Purdue is recruiting him very hard.
Chavis Dawkins (6’2 / 195) - Byrnes HS / Duncan, SC
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest and N.C. State
Background: Dawkins plays for a powerhouse program in SC. Right now receptions are shared with a top 20 2015 TE and a 2015 WR with D-1 offers. He says that his best 40 times are in the 4.5 range. He is looking for a school that provides the right combination of education, style of play and game day atmosphere.
Recruitment: N.C. State was the first to offer when they offered Dawkins in June. He told Scout that he has been in regular contact with the NCSU staff since their offer. He also told Scout that the Wake Forest offer was somewhat of a surprise because the staff had not had much contact with him before the offer. Dawkins said that he plans to visit Wake Forest at some point to learn more about the program. In September he said that he was planning visits to North Carolina (no offer) and Auburn (no offer). Out of the schools that haven’t offered, those 2 were recruiting him the hardest. He has said on multiple occasions that he would like to get more recruiting interest from Clemson and South Carolina.
Jeremiah Brown (6’2 / 170) – Southwest Guilford HS / High Point, NC
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest
Visits: Camped at UNC, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest and Clemson this past summer. Visited Wake Forest for the Wake Forest-Army game. Has been a multiple time visitor to UNC, including a junior day last spring and the UNC-SDSU game in September. Visited Duke for Duke-Wake game.
Recruitment: He said in late September that UNC (no offer) was his favorite school, saying that UNC felt “like..where I’m supposed to be” and that UNC’s coach Brewer was his favorite coach out of those recruiting him. In November, one 247 writer submitted a Crystal Ball for Brown to UNC.
Diondre Overton (6’5 / 195) – Page HS / Greensboro, NC (**new offer**)
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Clemson, and N.C. State
Background: Overton gave up football for basketball until last season. In his first year of high school football he caught 61 passes for 877 yards and 7 touchdowns (note: Scout says it was actually 70 catches / 1200 yards and 11 TDs). Wants to play both basketball and football at the college level if he can, but he appears to have decided to pursue football as his primary sport. I have seen some mention that he might have a Virginia Tech offer in basketball. Currently plays point guard. Says that he has “always been an A/B student”. Younger brother of ECU linebacker Montese Overton.
Visits: Frequent visitor to N.C. State including for a basketball game in December and then again in December to attend practices and a WR meeting. Plans to attend Clemson’s Junior Day on January 31. Visited Virginia Tech as a basketball recruit.
Recruitment: N.C. State was the first power 5 conference school to offer. Dave Doeren personally made the trip to Greenboro Page HS on the day that they offered. Clemson was the second to offer with Jeff Scott making the trip to deliver the news.
I added two new offerees: Kiel Pollard and Diondre Overton. I debated whether to add Overton to the Board because he already has a Clemson offer. I don’t usually add players with Clemson offers until they have specifically mentioned Wake Forest in an interview. None of our 2015 commits had a Clemson offer. However, Overton’s rapid ascent as a football recruit after returning to football is such an interesting story and he does live in Greensboro so I decided to add him for now. Clemson and N.C. State do seem well-positioned with him though.
All of the previous writeups have been updated.
I removed 4-star Cornell Powell (Rose HS / Greenville, NC) from the Board after he named Clemson his leader and Ole Miss, Florida State, LSU and Ohio State as the rest of his top 5.
I think that recent offeree 4-star Tino Ellis (DeMatha HS / Hyattsville, MD) is worth keeping an eye on, but his recruitment seems to be further along than most and I would be very surprised if he ended up anywhere other than Maryland, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Rutgers or Penn State (no offer). For that reason, I haven’t put him on the Board just yet.
I am a big fan of Moe Neal. I won’t try to hide it.
Deac94's Big Board - Slot Receivers
Moe Neal (5’10/165) – Forestview HS / Gastonia, NC
Rating: 3-star / #21 player in North Carolina / #7 all-purpose back in the country
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest, Duke, NC State, Boston College, Syracuse, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech
Background: First noted in recruiting circles as a freshman in HS when he recorded 800 all-purpose yards. Increased that number to 2,000 yards his sophomore season. Also scored 27 TDs last season. Then another 2,500 all-purpose yards and 38 TDs as a junior. Averaged 30.8 yards on 13 kickoff returns. Told an interviewer he ran 4.5 this year at an Under Armor combine. He envisions himself used in a Percy Harvin type role. He knows that he has to get bigger and stronger to play at the college level. Moves around between RB, slot and WR in Forestview’s spread offense, but lines up at RB the most. UNC is evaluating him as a receiver. Georgia Tech is recruiting him for the A-back role. Told an interviewer in October that his role in the Wake Forest offense would be RB/Slot/KR/PR (“anything to get me the ball in space”). He has said that he is looking for a school that provides him with the right combination of academics and football. He wants to play as a true freshman.
Visits: Attended camps this summer at Duke, NC State, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina. Also visited Wake Forest and Georgia Tech in July. Visited Syracuse in October for the Syracuse-FSU game. Ohio State in November for the Ohio State-Michigan game.
Recruitment: Mississippi State offered him after his freshman year. Visited Boston College in January. NC State and Duke offered immediately after he attended their summer camps. Told multiple interviewers this summer that Wake Forest was recruiting him the hardest, specifically telling Scout (about the attention he was receiving from Wake) “It means a lot. They’ve been showing a lot of love to me and my family.” In October he said “the odds are very high for me to go to Wake Forest right now”. Syracuse and N.C. State appear to be the main competition right now. I think he will likely make a decision in the late spring or very early summer
Darion Slade (Slot Receiver 5’11 / 178) - West Forsyth HS / Clemmons, NC
Ranking: 3-star, #33 player in North Carolina
Offers: Wake Forest, Duke and West Virginia
Background: Athlete played all over the field for West Forsyth as a sophomore. Started the season at slot WR before moving to QB. Some recruiting websites list him as a dual-threat QB, but for now colleges are recruiting him as either a WR or DB. He told 247 in November that he would likely play slot receiver at the college level. Plans to major in sports medicine. High-level basketball player is a guard on the Team Felton AAU team, and will likely draw lower-level college scholarships offers to play on the hardwood.
Visits: Wake Forest for Gardner-Webb game (which was a terrible game to attend from a crowd/weather perspective). Visited Duke 3 times already, including a game in September. Virginia Tech (no offer) on September 20. N.C. State on October 11.
Recruitment: West Virginia (specifically Lonnie Galloway) got the advantage of being his first offer and they will be a factor throughout his recruitment. In November a Rivals writer tweeted that Wake and West Virginia were his top 2. A 247 article reported the same top two. He told 247 that he talks to Coach Clawson “a lot”. Of the schools that have not offered, it seems like he has the most contact with Virginia Tech.
Deac94s Big Board – Wide Receivers
Jalen Elliott (6’1 / 175 ATH) L.C. Bird HS / Chesterfield, VA
Rating: 3-star, #22 overall player in Virginia
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest and Virginia Tech
Visits: Wake Forest on October 18 for Syracuse game (Wake offered him that day). Virginia Tech is August for the VT-William and Mary game. Tennessee (no offer) on October 25. UNC (no offer) on October 4th for the UNC-Virginia Tech game. Camped this summer at Virginia Tech, Virginia, Duke, UNC and Tennessee. He plans to head back to Virginia Tech for the VT-UVA game.
Background: Transferred to L.C. Bird last spring and switched to QB after playing WR as a sophomore. Led his team to a state championship in his first year at QB. Classified as an ATH, Elliott will likely play either WR or DB at the next level. Wake Forest offered him as a WR. Virginia Tech offered him as a DB. UNC is considering offering him as either a WR or an ATH. Both parents are Virginia Tech graduates, and he has already had extensive exposure to Virginia Tech.
Outlook: Virginia Tech is going to be tough to beat for Elliott.
Samuel Denmark (6’0 / 177 WR) Hanahan HS / Hanahan, SC
Rating: 3-star, #15 overall player in South Carolina
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest and Virginia Tech
Visits: Clemson in September for the Clemson-UNC game. Also camped at Clemson this summer along with camps at South Carolina and NC State. Visited Notre Dame in September for a game. Visited Virginia Tech on November 1st. Visited Wake in October (he received his offer during the visit). Was planning visits to Purdue on November 8th, Duke on November 15th and East Carolina on November 22nd.
Background: Had 900 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore. Track star. Finished 2nd in the state at the 3A level in the 100m and 3rd in the 200m. He claims that is 40-time is 4.44. Was a South Carolina fan growing up.
Recruitment: Based on quotes that I read from November, it looks like both Clemson (no offer) and Virginia Tech are leading Wake Forest right now. Alabama and Clemson visited him at his high school in November.
Kiel Pollard (6’1 / 215) – Colquitt County HS / Moultrie, GA (**new offer**)
Ranking: 3-star
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest, Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Purdue
Background: An athletic receiver that is 215 lbs as a HS junior. Had only 800 yards and 7 TDs as a sophomore, but a plays for one of the top HS teams in the country. Rivals did an in-person evaluation in August giving Pollard a very high grade and praising his ball skills and ability to break tackles after the catch. Plays for powerhouse team that won the Georgia 6A state championship. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named him as the runner-up MVP at the first day of practice for Georgia’s Elite Junior Classic in December.
Visits: Most of his visits have been to very high-end programs. He camped at Auburn last summer and then attended a game in the fall. He has been a regular at Florida State games.
Recruitment: Wake Forest offered on December 2. Which direction his recruitment takes probably depends in large part on how much interest he ends up getting from Auburn and FSU. He also recently started talking to Alabama. He says that Purdue is recruiting him very hard.
Chavis Dawkins (6’2 / 195) - Byrnes HS / Duncan, SC
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest and N.C. State
Background: Dawkins plays for a powerhouse program in SC. Right now receptions are shared with a top 20 2015 TE and a 2015 WR with D-1 offers. He says that his best 40 times are in the 4.5 range. He is looking for a school that provides the right combination of education, style of play and game day atmosphere.
Recruitment: N.C. State was the first to offer when they offered Dawkins in June. He told Scout that he has been in regular contact with the NCSU staff since their offer. He also told Scout that the Wake Forest offer was somewhat of a surprise because the staff had not had much contact with him before the offer. Dawkins said that he plans to visit Wake Forest at some point to learn more about the program. In September he said that he was planning visits to North Carolina (no offer) and Auburn (no offer). Out of the schools that haven’t offered, those 2 were recruiting him the hardest. He has said on multiple occasions that he would like to get more recruiting interest from Clemson and South Carolina.
Jeremiah Brown (6’2 / 170) – Southwest Guilford HS / High Point, NC
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 Offers: Wake Forest
Visits: Camped at UNC, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest and Clemson this past summer. Visited Wake Forest for the Wake Forest-Army game. Has been a multiple time visitor to UNC, including a junior day last spring and the UNC-SDSU game in September. Visited Duke for Duke-Wake game.
Recruitment: He said in late September that UNC (no offer) was his favorite school, saying that UNC felt “like..where I’m supposed to be” and that UNC’s coach Brewer was his favorite coach out of those recruiting him. In November, one 247 writer submitted a Crystal Ball for Brown to UNC.
Diondre Overton (6’5 / 195) – Page HS / Greensboro, NC (**new offer**)
Rating: Unrated
Power 5 offers: Wake Forest, Clemson, and N.C. State
Background: Overton gave up football for basketball until last season. In his first year of high school football he caught 61 passes for 877 yards and 7 touchdowns (note: Scout says it was actually 70 catches / 1200 yards and 11 TDs). Wants to play both basketball and football at the college level if he can, but he appears to have decided to pursue football as his primary sport. I have seen some mention that he might have a Virginia Tech offer in basketball. Currently plays point guard. Says that he has “always been an A/B student”. Younger brother of ECU linebacker Montese Overton.
Visits: Frequent visitor to N.C. State including for a basketball game in December and then again in December to attend practices and a WR meeting. Plans to attend Clemson’s Junior Day on January 31. Visited Virginia Tech as a basketball recruit.
Recruitment: N.C. State was the first power 5 conference school to offer. Dave Doeren personally made the trip to Greenboro Page HS on the day that they offered. Clemson was the second to offer with Jeff Scott making the trip to deliver the news.
94,
Happy New Year!
Looks like you were burning the midnight oil on recruiting updates instead of celebrating late into the night.
I'll be the first this year to thank you for all your research, opinions and posting about our recruiting.
All the best for a great 2015................and a few more wins for the Deacs next fall.
Happy New Year!
Looks like you were burning the midnight oil on recruiting updates instead of celebrating late into the night.
I'll be the first this year to thank you for all your research, opinions and posting about our recruiting.
All the best for a great 2015................and a few more wins for the Deacs next fall.
WakeForestRanger
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http://247sports.com/Bolt/Wake-pushing-for-Harbison-34314631
SAN ANTONIO - Running back Tre Harbison (Shelby, N.C./Crest) said Wake Forest is recruiting him the hardest.
"I like Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Boston College and Arkansas," Harbison said. "I'm hoping to make a summer decision."
SAN ANTONIO - Running back Tre Harbison (Shelby, N.C./Crest) said Wake Forest is recruiting him the hardest.
"I like Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Boston College and Arkansas," Harbison said. "I'm hoping to make a summer decision."
RB Kennedy McKoy says that West Virginia and N.C. State are his top two right now.
N.C. State is not a surprise, but I would have thought UNC would have been up there with the leaders. He is the #23 overall player in North Carolina.
N.C. State is not a surprise, but I would have thought UNC would have been up there with the leaders. He is the #23 overall player in North Carolina.
Deaconblue
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Maybe some of the issues ongoing with academics and athletes at UNC are starting to discourage some recruits.
Lots of info coming out today that will help me with the RB Board. 247 is obviously camped out at the U.S. Army Combine in Texas where 4 Big Board RBs are today: Tre Harbison, Kennedy McCoy, Cade Carney and Jordon Brown.
Cade Carney has ECU, N.C. State and Georgia Tech on top. He is the #35 player in North Carolina.
Kendall Hinton's teammate Jordon Brown has UNC and N.C. State on top right now. He is the #8 overall player in North Carolina.
Cade Carney has ECU, N.C. State and Georgia Tech on top. He is the #35 player in North Carolina.
Kendall Hinton's teammate Jordon Brown has UNC and N.C. State on top right now. He is the #8 overall player in North Carolina.
While I haven’t finished looking at the 2016 RBs yet, yesterday’s 247 bolts from the U.S. Army All-American Junior Combine make clear that only one RB with multiple power 5 conference offers is naming Wake Forest in his top group: Tre Harbison.
By my count, there are only 3 players overall that are naming Wake Forest as a favorite at this point: Harbison, and slot receivers Moe Neal and Darion Slade. If you are pessimist, you could believe that Wake is going to struggle when the commitment period rolls around in June and July. But I am much more hopeful. Keep in mind that up until today, recruits perceptions have largely been shaped by on-field performance, watching bowl games, and which teams were their favorites growing up. Clawson has said that his strategy involves getting recruits on campus multiple times. That is why he is trying to recruit kids within a 5-hour radius. It seems clear to me that he thinks that his best chance to get recruits is to sell the campus, the staff and his vision for the program. I think that most of you would agree that our campus, academics and football staff are our top selling point. However, that’s a tougher sell to make while direct messaging over Twitter.
Relatively few 2016 targets have visited Wake Forest. Most of the guys on the Big Board from North Carolina have, but not many others (a couple of Virginia guys mostly). But that shouldn’t be a surprise. These recruits have been largely focused on their high school seasons, and Wake Forest games this year probably didn’t top their list if they had a few weekends to make visits. So I think that there is big opportunity to gain traction with other recruits between now and spring practice. The 80-90 or so days between now and spring practice will be critical. In other words, now is the time for Wake to make up ground. If the staff can get these recruits on campus and maximize their time with them, as well as leverage the personal relationships that they have developed over the past 12 months, I think we will see more kids naming Wake in their top schools by the spring.
I do think that the spring evaluation period (April 15-May 31) that will come right after spring practice is going to feel more like a “sprint to the finish line” this year in the ever accelerating world of football recruiting. I hope that we will be well positioned for it.
Hopefully, WakeForestRanger and others on the message board will help call out info on campus visitors from Twitter etc over the next 90 days. I think those visits will be key, and will therefore be interesting to follow.
ETA: Given the importance of getting campus visitors over the next 3 months, it would have been nice if the basketball team was more of a draw. Duke typically organizes their main Junior Day around the Duke-UNC game at Cameron Indoor. I think they draw a lot of recruits that way.
By my count, there are only 3 players overall that are naming Wake Forest as a favorite at this point: Harbison, and slot receivers Moe Neal and Darion Slade. If you are pessimist, you could believe that Wake is going to struggle when the commitment period rolls around in June and July. But I am much more hopeful. Keep in mind that up until today, recruits perceptions have largely been shaped by on-field performance, watching bowl games, and which teams were their favorites growing up. Clawson has said that his strategy involves getting recruits on campus multiple times. That is why he is trying to recruit kids within a 5-hour radius. It seems clear to me that he thinks that his best chance to get recruits is to sell the campus, the staff and his vision for the program. I think that most of you would agree that our campus, academics and football staff are our top selling point. However, that’s a tougher sell to make while direct messaging over Twitter.
Relatively few 2016 targets have visited Wake Forest. Most of the guys on the Big Board from North Carolina have, but not many others (a couple of Virginia guys mostly). But that shouldn’t be a surprise. These recruits have been largely focused on their high school seasons, and Wake Forest games this year probably didn’t top their list if they had a few weekends to make visits. So I think that there is big opportunity to gain traction with other recruits between now and spring practice. The 80-90 or so days between now and spring practice will be critical. In other words, now is the time for Wake to make up ground. If the staff can get these recruits on campus and maximize their time with them, as well as leverage the personal relationships that they have developed over the past 12 months, I think we will see more kids naming Wake in their top schools by the spring.
I do think that the spring evaluation period (April 15-May 31) that will come right after spring practice is going to feel more like a “sprint to the finish line” this year in the ever accelerating world of football recruiting. I hope that we will be well positioned for it.
Hopefully, WakeForestRanger and others on the message board will help call out info on campus visitors from Twitter etc over the next 90 days. I think those visits will be key, and will therefore be interesting to follow.
ETA: Given the importance of getting campus visitors over the next 3 months, it would have been nice if the basketball team was more of a draw. Duke typically organizes their main Junior Day around the Duke-UNC game at Cameron Indoor. I think they draw a lot of recruits that way.
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94, again thanks for your excellent information. I must admit I'm a little discouraged we're not listed as a higher interest with more of the guys on the big board. In Clawson I trust and hope you are correct that we will make up ground if coach gets them on campus. I''m happy that we are at least mentioned by some good recruits. My take is that we will make more in-roads as people see improvement in our program. Next year is critical for recruiting and I hope that with better strength and conditioning people will see the program is heading in the right direction. It's like the chicken and egg theory, better results equals better recruits and better recruits equals better results. Meaningful improvement with next year's team could really start a positive trend.